Fluorescent lighting fixture



M y 1951 c. NITARDY 2,555,0W

FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed Sept.' 27, 1945 4 //IIIIIIIIII/t II 1/ JNVENTOR.

M Nimrm BY U ATTORNEY Patented May 29, 1951 FLUORESCENT LIGHTING FIXTURE v Carl Nitardy, New York, N. Y., assignor to Sylvania Electric Products Inc., Salem, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application September 27, 1945, sci-a1 No. 618,831

- a 1 This invention relates to electric lighting fixtures and particularly to fixtures to be usedupon desks, tables and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a practical and eflicient application of fluorescent light to localized illumination of relatively small areas.

A further object of the invention is to provide a lighting fixture of the type suggested having means adjusting the distribution of light upon the illuminated area.

a fixture which isadjustable to obtain a maximum degree of diffusion upon the illuminated area. a A further object of the invention is to providea fixture which is highly durable andattractive in appearance.

Other objects and features will'more fully appear from the following description and will be pointed out in the appended claim.

The fixture constituting the invention is particularly adapted to use upon a workingareasuch as a desk, table top or the like and is provided with a base to rest upon or be clamped to or adjacent the surface to be illuminated. A column structure is secured .to the base and extends up, ward. The upper end of the column is provided with means to pivotally support one or more chassis members to swing in a horizontal plane. The chassis members contain means for holding at least one fluorescent lamp and the necessary auxiliary equipment. The lamps are arranged to throw their light downward.

To provide a better understanding of the invention a preferred embodiment thereof will be described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: a

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the fixture illustrating its adjustability;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the fixture shown in partial section;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the supporting frame for the fixture base;

Figure 4 is a cross sectional View on line 4-4, Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view on line 55, Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a detail perspective View of the lamp chassis supporting means.

Any suitable means may be employed to properly position and hold the fixture upon the desk top or other surface to be illuminated. As

shown in the drawings a base I is provided with.

a downwardly projecting clamping portion 8 which desirably fits over the desk top or other 1 Claim. (01. 240- 5111) 2' 7 surface and is provided with clamping screws 9. The base is provided with an inner frame member IU of which the clamping portion 8 is a part, The member I0 is generally channel shaped and is desirably made of relatively stiff sheet metal. The member ID presents an upper flat portion I l whose rigidity desirably is reinforced by means of a strut I2 secured thereto at its upper end and to the bottom portion of the member I0 at its 10 A further object of the invention is to provide .0

lower end. The base member I!) desirably is covered by a decorative casing I3.

The upper portion II of the member I0 functions to support an upright or column structure I4 upon the upper end of which is supported a pair of lamp holding chassis I5. A desirable structure for the column member consists of a pair of tubular members It which project through spaced apertures in the portion I I and are rigidlyv secured thereto by clamping collars Il threaded upon the tubularmembers I6.

The upper ends of the tubes I6 are anchored in a frame member I 8. The tubes I Gare threaded in andprojectthrough the member I8. The threaded upper ends of the tubes are provided with collars which act'to pivotally secure the lampchassis I5 to the tubes;-

Each chassis I5 is constructed to receive a fluorescent lamp 20 and acts to direct the light downward. If desired the bottom openings in the chassis may be provided with diffusing panels 38.

Each chassis I5 is desirably composed of an inner member 2| which serves as a supporting framework for the lamp sockets 22 at its outer end and is provided with an enlarged chamber portion 23 which constitutes a housing for such auxiliary devices as the ballasts 24, and sockets 25 to receive lamp starting units 26. The bottom wall 21 of the inner chambered portion 23 desirably is reinforced for at least a portion of its area with a relatively heavy metal plate 28. The forward inner corner of the bottom 21 and plate 28 of each chassis have formed therein apertures 29 through which the upper ends of the tubes I6 extend. To assemble the chassis upon the fixture the ends of the tubes are passed through apertures 29 and the collars I9 are turned down until the bottom walls 21 are held firmly between the collars and the upper face of the member I8.

The collars [9 are so adjusted that the chassis will be held firmly in a horizontal position but are free to rotate upon the tubes I6. Desirably the collars are locked in position by'set screws.

A smoothly contoured outer decorative casing 30 is placed over and encloses the inner member position at right angles to the other.

2|. The members 2| and 30 may be secured togcther in any desired manner as by means of bolts or screws 3| and 32. The screw 3| secures the outer end of the member 2|. The bolt 32 passes through an aperture in a transverse member 33 welded or otherwise secured to the member 2|. The member 33 also serves to support the starter sockets 25 in such position that the starter units 26 when inserted in the sockets project through apertures in the inner walls 34 of the chassis and extend outsid a short distance to be grasped by the fingers to remove or insert a starter. The member I8 is provided with a central spacing member 35 extending upward, rearward and downward between the inner end walls 34 of the chassis. The outer ends of the starter units 26 project into the space formed by the member 35.

The wiring for the fixture is not shownbut may be arranged in any suitable manner. Desirably the power supply wire is led in the base member I through an aperture 36 formed in the casing [3. The current may be controlled by a suitable switch 31 from where lead wires pass through the tubes IE to their respective chassis l and are connected to the lamps in the conventional manner.

A lamp constructed according to the invention is adaptable to many lighting requirements. The two arms may be swung into alignment as shown in full lines in Figure 1 of the drawings in which case a maximum of diffusion takes place laterally of the illuminated area and is distributed throughout the relatively wide area covered by both lamps.

To vary the distribution and character of th illumination one. or both of the lamp chassis 15- can be swung into angular positions such as the dotted position in Figure 1. Let is be assumed that one lamp chassis isv swung into a In this case an ideally difiused light is obtained since the diffusing effect of the tubular lamps takes place in two directions at right angles to each other. When the lamps are so positioned or approximately so positioned no distinct shadows 4 are cast by objects between the lamps and the illuminated surface.

Many different arrangements of the lamps may be made to suit a specific lighting objective or problem. For example, when the fixture is to be used upon a desk or like surface in the corner of a room or against a wall, one lamp chassis may be arranged against the wall or when the desk is in a corner both lamp chassis can be placed against the angled walls of the corner. Under such conditions the efficient qualities of the fixture function at their maximum and moreover the decorative effect of the fixture and room isenhanced.

What I claim is:

A fluorescent lighting fixture comprising: a base; a pair of standards mounted on said base; a yoke mounted on said standards near the upper ends thereof, said yoke having a pair of apertures therein through which said standards project and a channel-shaped spacing member connected tosaid yoke between the apertures therein and extending upwardly and rearwardly therefrom; and an elongated lamp-receiving chassis pivotally mounted on one end thereof on the top of each of said standards, each chassis having lamp sockets for supporting a lamp in the outer end of said chassis, a ballast housing at the inner end of said chassis and a lamp starter socket on the inner end wall of said chassis.

CARL NITARDY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 151,855 Nitardy Nov. 23, 1948 1,126,672 Dormandy Jan. 26, 1915 2,205,310 Robinson et al. June 18, 1940 2,297,781 Korengold Oct. 6, 1942 2,352,496 Rose June 27, 1944 2,382,878 Holecek Aug. 14, 1945 2,414,485 Reichart Jan. 21, 1947 

